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Ensuring success in global business excellence programs

23/06/2025 by Alberto Pezeiro










What should we consider to ensure the success of a business excellence program?
This is a simple yet powerful question that I always have to answer when discussing business excellence with senior leaders who aim to implement global programs.
I will summarize the points I most often suggest:

- A team dedicated exclusively to coordinating resources and disseminating best governance practices. It is also a good idea to have a dedicated budget.
- Full-time (or part-time) facilitators in all areas to ensure capillarity (when it is necessary to give traction to the program, consider 0.5% of the total population as full-time facilitators). These facilitators may be existing resources within the organization; - Best-in-Class training aligned with practical application in the business environment (project development) should be offered at all levels of the organization;
- Projects should be defined by business objectives and linked to the organization's "hot topics." The business excellence program should not compete with other programs. It is the best way to accelerate other initiatives within the organization;
- Global and local metrics to monitor progress and identify the most advanced employees and those who need help;
- Strong partnership with HR (Leadership Development) and Finance (validation of financial gains and ROI calculation);
- Internal marketing: Program brand developed in conjunction with the communications team. This will convey the perception that the program is a career accelerator for the organization's top talent;
- Certification and best practice sharing events;

And most importantly:

There must be involvement from senior and middle management. Senior leadership must believe in and promote the idea that the business excellence program is not an extra task, but rather a disciplined way to improve processes, achieve results, and develop the organization's current and future leaders.